Committees

Our committees work to support social & community justice.

The National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, has a number of active committees working on a variety of social justice issues. Our committees are the foundation of our programmatic work. If you are interested in joining or would like more information on any of our active committees, please contact Program Coordinator Charlene Khoo at 415-285-5067 Ext. 101 or charlene@nlgsf.org

Bay Area Military Law Panel

The National Lawyers Guild opposes aggressive and interventionist military policies, as well as abusive treatment of service members and veterans. The NLGSF Bay Area Military Law Panel is the local working group of the Military Law Task Force. The Bay Area Military Panel is for lawyers, law students, legal workers and “Barracks Lawyers’ who are interested in draft, military and veterans’ issues. Committee members staff the GI Rights Hotline, provide individual representation to GI’s and veterans, and collaborate on challenges to oppressive military policies.

Demonstrations Committee

The Demonstrations Committee is a network of lawyers, legal workers and law students who provide legal support for political activists, protesters and movements for social justice. Volunteer members provide Know Your Rights trainings, Legal Observer trainings, rapid response trainings, and legal support for activists who are arrested during demonstrations.

Doris Brin Walker Legislative Reform Committee

The Doris Brin Walker Legislative Reform Committee participates in many Bar related activities throughout the year. Most importantly, the Committee drafts and initiates progressive resolutions on behalf of NLGSF for consideration and debate among delegates to the annual State Bar Convention. The Conference of California Bar Associations then helps resolutions approved at the State Bar Convention become law through its Legislative Program.

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Through this process, the Committee has drafted and helped pass a variety of progressive California-wide legislation, including the decriminalization of marijuana and ending the solitary confinement of juveniles.

This year, the Committee has submitted five resolutions to the State Bar Convention, which will be held in September in San Diego, CA, advocating for the following positions:

–Increased funding for Community Boards
–Compensation to families of unarmed persons killed by police
–Increased reporting requirements for use of Tasers by law enforcement
–Limiting ICE actions in public schools or state buildings to persons with warrants
–Prohibiting local government acquisition of surplus military equipment without public approval

The Committee is named after late radical lawyer Doris Brin Walker, who was the first female President of the National Lawyers Guild and helped clear activist Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping charges in the 1970’s.

Immigration Committee

NLGSF opposes efforts to detain and deport people based on their status as migrants and immigrants and works to improve the laws and policies that affect immigrant communities. The NLGSF Immigration Committee is comprised of attorneys, students, and legal workers who work together to provide Know Your Rights trainings, engage in rapid response work, and run the Immigration Court Observation Program (ICOP). The Committee’s listserv of over 200 members also provides a space for practitioners to keep updated on changes to the law and policy, seek practice advice from other immigration attorneys and legal workers, and to support communities and organizations fighting mass deportation and the criminalization of immigrants.

Know Your Rights Trainings

The Immigration Committee and our trained affiliates provide important Know Your Rights training to affected immigrant communities so that they are better equipped to organize and defend themselves against ICE repression. The training provides an overview of non-citizens’ constitutional and procedural rights when interacting with immigration agents (Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection) and other state and federal law enforcement. It also covers how to get involved in supporting immigrants’ rights movements and certain laws that may help undocumented immigrants obtain legal status, worker protections and other benefits. If you are a community group and would like to request a Know Your Rights training, please fill out the form below. Please note that we are an all-volunteer group and cannot guarantee presenters for every request made. Please allow for at least 4 weeks’ notice to allow us adequate time to find presenters and plan the format with organizers. Request a Know Your Rights Training, click here. Solicite un entrenamiento Conozca sus derechos, haga clic aquí.

Immigration Court Observation Program (ICOP)

The Immigration Court Observation Program (ICOP) trains law students and other volunteers to attend and observe detained immigration court bond and master calendar hearings and to document violations of immigrants’ due process rights. Observation is particularly needed now because many of the judges in San Francisco Immigration Court are recent appointees. Although immigration court hearings are open to the public, few people attend to observe these proceedings. There is no right to public counsel in immigration court with limited exceptions and, therefore, only 15% of immigrants in detention are represented by attorneys. This means that the vast majority of immigrants have no choice but to go up against the Department of Homeland Security attorneys on their own. By maintaining a constant presence in San Francisco Immigration Court, ICOP keeps pressure on judges to hold them accountable, helps make court hearings more transparent and identifies any needs and trends in immigration court that impact immigrants’ due process rights.

Mentorship/NextGen Committee

The Mentorship / NextGen Committee seeks to serve as a catalyst for active communication between law school chapters, recent graduates, long-time Guild members and the chapter’s active committees. Through regular meetings and events, the goal of the Committee is to grow the Guild by building lasting, inspiring relationships between NLGSF members. The Mentorship / NextGen Committee provides opportunities for NLGSF members to share ideas, solicit advice, find a mentor or mentee and explore opportunities for partnership in local projects.

Become a Mentor / Become a Mentee

The NextGen Committee seeks to cultivate future generations of radical and progressive lawyers and legal workers through its mentorship programming including Happy Hours, events and the Mentorship Program.

Attorney Mentor Match Program

The Mentor Match Program pairs new lawyers and law students seeking guidance with Guild attorney mentors looking to share their experiences and knowledge with those newer to the profession.

For Mentees: NLGSF members who are law students and recent law school graduates are eligible to be matched with a Guild mentor mentor. If you are interested in being matched with a Guild mentor,click here.

For Mentors: Guild mentors make themselves available to their mentees for regular contact by phone or email and agree to meet with their mentees in person at least twice/year. If you are interested in becoming a Guild mentor,click here

NLGSF People of Color Caucus

Our POC Caucus is an alliance of law students, legal workers and attorneys of color within the NLG community. Members of our POC Caucus engage in collective struggle around what it means to be people of color in a field that continues to be dominated by white practitioners.

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TUPOCC was formed in 2005 to help ensure that the anti-racism values of the Guild were actualized in the day to day workings of the organization. To this end, TUPOCC has helped elect students and people of color into leadership positions within the Guild and helped institutionalize an anti-racist agenda through policies that help eliminate racism and other forms of oppression. In addition to moving the Guild towards a more inclusive space for people of color, TUPOCC meets regularly and engages in a variety of work, such as organizing with law student groups, developing political education, and planning community events. TUPOCC is open to all members of the NLG community who self-identify as people of color.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee oversees the Chapter’s financial state of affairs, including the budget and fundraising efforts.